


The Gold Star

by WakeUpDreaming



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Happy Quinn is basically a superhero, Mission Fic, References to Drugs, References to Sexual Assault, Scorpion team kicks asshole ass, Team at the bar, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 07:36:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5489003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WakeUpDreaming/pseuds/WakeUpDreaming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mavis, from Happy's undercover mission at the sorority, returns with a case that Happy and Toby insist the team take on. They find themselves trying to catch a Rohypnol dealer who uses it to spike girls' drinks, and they devise an undercover operation to take the scumbag down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gold Star

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Though there is NO INSTANCE of sexual assault in this fic, the topic is discussed alongside the topic of date rape drugs. It is my hope that I addressed this topic with the necessary care and sensitivity. One character is drugged in the story, but nothing beyond that happens. They are safe. Please let me know if anything is a problem and I will do my best to fix it.

Toby’s got his nose in a book when the door to the garage slams open and Happy shouts, “We’ve got a case!”

“But I don’t want to,” Toby whines, dropping his book on his face.

The books is pulled off of him a few seconds later, Happy’s face looming above him. “You should want to,” Happy says, “this is shields girl.”

Toby immediately sits up, attentive, looking around to the rest of the team. “We do anything she asks us to do,” he says firmly.

“Okay,” says Sly skeptically, “why?”

Happy shrugs. “She might be the reason Toby and I got together,” Happy mumbles.

Paige walks over, beaming. “In that case, we owe you big,” she says. “What can we help you with?”

Toby listens patiently as Mavis, as Happy introduces her, explains the problem on campus.

“There’s a guy,” she says, carefully, “ a group of guys, I think. But there's one in the lead. They’re targeting sorority girls and using Rohypnol to drug and assault them.” She looks at everyone with a kind of determined conviction Toby’s seen reflected in Happy’s eyes. “We need to find them so they can never do it again.”

“This isn’t the kind of thing we usually take care of,” Cabe begins.

Toby shakes his head. “We’re doing anything to help,” Toby says. “I owe her.”

“We owe her,” Happy corrects, her eyes on Toby.

He shrugs. “Right, fine. But this is something wrong and our job is to right the wrongs, isn’t it? So we need to keep these people from doing something this horrific.”

Mavis nods. “Any help you guys can offer would be amazing,” she says, looking worried, as if there’s a chance that they would let this continue without interference.

Walter, Paige, and Cabe consider it for a moment. It’s clear from expressions that Happy and Sly are in the job until the end, and even if he has to do it on his own Toby’s going to stop this.

“Okay,” says Walter. “But we’re deferring to Toby on this one.”

“It’s about time you people acknowledged my skill,” Toby grumbles, but he stops when Happy sends him a look. “Right,” Toby says, returning to professionalism. “This guy’s going to be an alpha male, and I’d bet there’s one drug runner who sells to others in a group, either a frat or a something. If we take him down, we take down the whole group.”

“Okay,” says Walter. “What’s our step?”

“I’m going to find him and try to manipulate him,” Toby says. “See if I can challenge him on a girl and get him to say or do something that gives him away.”

“How, exactly, are you going to do that?” Sly asks, looking skeptical.

Toby rolls his eyes. “You guys seriously don’t trust my abilities? Now? Still?” He scoffs. “Come on, people. Harvard trained. I can do this. But first,” he says, “I need to shave.”

Happy’s eyebrows shoot up. “You’re going to what?”

He grins at her. “What, you’re going to miss the beard?”

She won’t meet his eyes when she says, “No. Shut up.”

He grins as he walks to the bathroom. “You’re like Ke$ha. You like my beard!”

“How do you know Ke$ha?!” Happy shouts after him.

“I spend too much time in places with shitty music,” he shouts back.

Happy’s face when he walks out the bathroom is hilarious.

“Whoa,” says Happy, eyeing Toby. “You look nineteen.”

Toby pouts. “I know,” he says, rubbing at his shaven face. “It feels wrong.”

Happy runs her hand along his face. “It kind of does,” she says. She bites her lip, then drops her hand. She clears her throat.

“Can I at least pull off grad student? College student? Something?” Toby asks. “If I can’t convince this guy I go to his school, then I won’t be able to convince him that I’m willing to buy his drugs.”

Happy considers it. “You can definitely pass for nineteen,” she decides. She pulls his hat off of his head and messes his hair up. Her grin is ridiculous. “Perfect.”

“No hat?” Toby asks, pouting.

“She’s right,” says Cabe, walking into the room. “Mess your hair up like that and you look like a kid. You’re ready.”

Sly pokes his head around his computer monitor. “Walter and I have narrowed down the bars to three, judging by how often he frequents the ones in the area. Toby, you need to figure out which of the three he’ll be at today. Our numbers can only go so far, apparently." Sly looks very disappointed.

Toby leans down. “Alright,” he says, “Mavis, you told us that you found out about who was doing this by a girl who refused a drink from him at this bar,” he points at a place called _McVee’s_ , “so he’s going to avoid that place for as long as possible. He subconsciously associates that place with exposure. He won’t risk it for a while.” Toby looks at the other two bars. “Sly, how often has Christopher Dane visited _The Gold Star_ in the past month?”

“Fourteen times,” Sly replies. “He’s been to _Scores_ thirteen.”

“Okay,” Toby says. He goes to stroke his beard, but just feels horribly wrong when it’s not there and accidentally pinches his chin. He pokes Happy in the ribs when she laughs at him. “Thirteen at _Scores_ , fourteen at _Gold Star_ …” Toby thinks for a minute. “I think he’ll be at _Gold Star_ tonight,” he decides.

“Really?” says Walter. “The numbers suggest otherwise.”

“Yeah,” says Toby, “but look at this. The majority women who have reported something in the past three months have been at _Scores._ He’s deliberately decreasing how often he’s there. I think he’s onto the fact that that people at _Scores_ have an inkling of what he’s doing.” Toby points to _The Gold Star._ “He’s going to be there.”

“Then let’s get ready,” says Cabe. “We can’t just have Mavis and Toby in there on their own. Dane might know you,” Cabe says to Mavis. “And we can’t risk him seeing you with Toby, in case he figures something out.”

“I’ll go,” Happy says. The whole room looks at her. “What?” she says. “I’m here for Mavis. I’ve pulled off sorority girl before, I can do it again.” She grins at Toby. “And plus, we need somebody to keep an eye on you.”

“Hah, hah,” says Toby. “But then, um,” he winces. “Happy, you have the worst job of all.”

Happy stares at him. “Which is…?”

“You have to get Dane to dance with you, or at least flirt with you,” Toby says. “You’ll notice if he tries to slip you something, and I don’t feel comfortable sending Mavis to do something like that.”

Happy raises an eyebrow. “And you’re comfortable with me doing it?” she asks, tone dangerous.

“Not at all,” Toby says. “I just know you can handle yourself.”

Happy relaxes. “Fine. I’ll go look all college student.” She pulls her hair out of its clip and grabs a shirt Paige throws at her. “Anybody got some extra clothes?”

“Just pull your shirt down and wear your makeup like you did last time,” Paige says. “You can pull it off with the tank top and boobs.”

Everybody turns to her. “What?” Paige asks. “Pull out the boobs and you can get any straight guy to look. Straight guys are incredibly easy.”

“You know, I'd argue, but you're right," Toby says, trying not to feel as icky as he does, sending his girlfriend in to flirt with a serial rapist.

“We’ll send Paige in the bar as an extra pair of eyes,” Walter says. “If the guy slips somebody a laced drink Paige’ll call somebody in.”

“We’re not letting it get that far,” Happy says dangerously midway through straightening her hair. Toby nods in response.

It takes Happy and Paige only forty minutes to get bar ready, and all Mavis does is put her hair in a ponytail and she says she’s ready to go.

They’re at _The Gold Star_ four hours after Mavis had showed up, Happy and Toby looking like college students in their getups, and Mavis gripping Happy’s hand like a vice.

Happy leans over to Toby. “Do I have to hold her hand?” she whispers.

Toby stares at her. “Yes,” he replies quietly. “Just until you get to the bar, okay? She’s terrified.”

Happy nods. “Can do, boss,” she mumbles.

Toby very deliberately doesn’t respond to that.

When the get to the bar, Mavis makes a terrified squeak. Toby darts out of the car to meet her before she has to go into the bar.

“Do you want to talk?” Toby asks quietly.

Mavis nods rapidly, and Happy sends Toby a thankful look, like she couldn’t possibly have had the conversation.

“This is scaring me,” Mavis says quietly. “No. Terrifying me.”

Toby nods. “But you’re doing something about it,” he says sincerely. “You are incredibly brave.”

Mavis nods without much vigor, like she doesn’t believe it. “If I had been brave I would have been able to keep this from happening to my friends.”

“Hey, no,” Toby says, taking her hands. “No way. You weren’t even at the bar.”

“But I could have been!” Mavis exclaims. She looks so young and scared in the moment that Toby half wants to give the poor girl a hug. “I – I could have helped.”

“You’re helping now,” Toby says, squeezing her hands. “And we’re going to get this son of a bitch, okay? He’s never going to do this again."

Mavis takes a deep breath and nods. “I trust you guys,” Mavis says. “Especially you and Su-Happy. Definitely you if Happy likes you so much.”

Toby shrugs. “Well, I do my best. You ready?”

Mavis nods.

Happy and Mavis walk into the bar first, followed by Paige on her own five minutes later and Toby alone five minutes after that.

“No sign of the target,” Happy says. “How long do we wait?”

“As long as it takes,” Toby says firmly. “He’ll be here.”

Toby puts the picture of Christopher Dane in the front of his mind, the sickening grin from the frat party photograph ensuring that Toby will take him down.

He looks to his left. “He just walked in,” Toby says. “Repeat, Dane’s on his way in. Happy, get your game face on. You’ve got to make this guy think you’re interested.”

“Uh, Doc –”

“I know it’s gross,” says Toby, “but we need to work this the right way.”

“No,” says Happy, “he’s walking toward you.”

Toby, startled, shifts to see Dane sliding next to him, ordering a vodka tonic. Toby’s got a glass of seltzer water, but, thinking fast, he raises his glass to Dane.

“Man after my own heart,” Toby says.

Dane nods at him as he says, “Thanks, sweetheart,” as the bartender hands him the drink. He strokes the back of her hand.

Toby does his damnedest not to rip the guy’s throat out, especially when he doesn’t leave a tip.

“She’s cute,” Toby says, nodding toward the waitress. “Sucks she doesn’t flirt back, though.”

Dane laughs in agreement. “Bitches, right?” he says.

Toby literally hears Happy growling with rage on the other end of the coms. He forces down the temptation to dump his drink in the guy’s face and says, “You’re telling me.”

“Girl trouble?” Dane asks.

Toby sighs, nodding as he looks around the bar, trying to look as pathetic and desperate as possible. He looks over at Happy, because she’s the reason he’s lying through his teeth, and she calms him down enough to refocus on the mission. “That’s putting it lightly.”

Dane sends him a sleazy grin. “Your life sucks,” he laughs. “What’s the problem?”

Toby shrugs, scrambling for an excuse appropriate for a college senior. “Can’t get laid,” he shoots out.

Happy laughs in his ear and he can’t help but look over at her again.

“Okay,” says Dane, giving Toby a disgusting look that almost makes him sick. “I'll make you a deal.”

Toby turns to him. “A deal?”

“We’ll call it a bet,” Dane clarifies.

“I’m good at betting,” Toby says. “Give me the terms.”

Happy, bless her, is doing an amazing job of avoiding Toby’s eyes, looking tragically disinterested. Except Toby’s looked at her too much, and Dane’s noticed. “You get that girl to kiss you,” Dane says, nodding toward Happy, “and grab her ass, and I’ll tell you all my secrets to getting girls. If you don’t get her,” Dane’s grin grows predatory and disgusting, “I get her.”

It’s all Toby can do not to rip Dane's eyes out. “Deal,” he says, thankful that all of this is recorded and that he’s on a mission. He is going to take this guy down.

Toby makes his way toward Mavis and Happy, trying to look as sleazy as possible.

“What are you doing?!” Mavis exclaims, looking around. "You can't be here!"

“It’s okay,” says Happy. “This is part of a plan.”

Mavis stares at them. “What are you talking about?”

Toby taps at his ear piece as subtly as possible. “She heard my conversation through the coms,” Toby explains. “Dane wants me to get Happy. We can easily play this to our advantage. Right now, you need to laugh at something I say. Happy, you need to roll your eyes.” Happy and Mavis do as they are told. “Perfect. You’re doing fine. Happy, look over at Mavis like you’re telling her to do something.”

“Do I say anything?”

“You could babble on about peanut butter,” Toby says. “Now, Mavis, you nod.” She does. “And go to the bar.” He nods over to where Paige is sitting at the end of the bar. “Paige is waiting for you – she’ll keep an eye on you while we take care of this.”

Mavis nods and walks away.

“What, so we’re supposed to act like we don’t know each other?” Happy asks. “How are we going to swing this?”

Toby grins at her. “I try to get you to kiss me.”

Happy frowns. “Can’t I just do that now?” she asks. "Get this job over with?"

Toby shakes his head. “We have to make this look real, or else it’ll be suspicious and we’ll lose Dane. You’ve got to act like you’re not into it.”

Happy sighs. “This is way too complicated.”

“You’re telling me.”

He reaches a hand out, lacing their fingers. “Now, pull away.”

“Okay,” Happy says, looking confused.

“Good! Keep that look on your face. We want him to think it’s hard for me to get your attention. Look around like you’re bored.”

Happy looks a little like a first grader in a school play.

“Hap, no, you’ve got to sell it,” Toby laughs. “It's okay. We’ve been over here long enough that I think we can pretend I’ve seduced you to the dance floor.”

Happy shrugs. “Alright then.” She shoots him this smile that’s downright sinful, and he’s glad he isn’t in Dane’s line of sight because with the way he knows he's looking at her, besotted and enamored, he’d probably give everything away right now.

Happy takes his hand and pulls him to the dance floor.

“Now, if I try to kiss you,” Toby says, the beat thrumming through his blood, “you have to duck away.”

“What if I don’t want to duck away?” Happy asks.

Toby groans. “You’re killing me here,” he laughs. “But seriously. No kissing until, like, two or three songs. And definitely no butt grabbing until then.”

“Deal,” Happy says.

It doesn’t take long before they’re lost in the music and in each other. Toby’s never seen Happy like this. She seems like somebody new with the way she lets her hands roam all over Toby’s body, how she swivels her hips against his body.

“Never knew you were this kind of a dancer,” Toby murmurs into Happy’s ear as the song changes. “I kind of like this.”

“Just for the job, Doc,” Happy says. "Or, you know. Just because I like you."

“Don’t kiss me, okay?” Toby says.

“Meaning?”

“I’m going to lean in, and you need to turn your head like you don’t want to kiss me.”

Happy nods, and twists away from him when leans down, dropping his head on her shoulder.

They fall into the routine of the music again, Toby rubbing little circles into the skin of Happy’s hip as they dance. She moves even closer to him, their bodies aligned, and it kills Toby to say, “Not yet.”

Happy runs a hand through her hair, visibly frustrated.

“Almost there,” Toby says, “here, I’ll turn us so you can get a look at him over my shoulder. Make sure he’s watching.”

They shift just enough for Happy to look.

“He’s watching, alright,” Happy says. “Which is really creepy.”

“I know,” Toby says, an apology in his voice. “But it’s almost over. I’m going to grab your ass now.”

“You don’t have to ask,” Happy says, leaning in close. Toby reaches down and squeezes just enough to get the point across, and then, before he processes it, he and Happy are kissing. Toby’s not sure who kissed first, but her hands are in his hair and he can’t think straight.

They break apart when Paige shouts, “Hey!” in Toby’s ear. Toby startles away.

“I’m going to do something really disrespectful, and I apologize,” Toby says, hating himself a little bit.

Happy sighs. “I don’t really mind if it’s you.”

Toby says, “This is me telling you to get me a drink. Go over and fake a really animated conversation with Mavis.”

Happy nods and Toby smacks her ass as she walks away. She sends him a shocked glare that melts into realization.

“Didn’t expect that,” Happy mutters through the coms. But Toby can’t respond. Dane’s eyes lock with his as Toby makes his way back over to Dane.

“Nice work, man,” Dane says, holding out a hand for a high five. Toby slaps his hand. “And she’s one hot little piece.”

Toby tries to quell the rage burning in his chest. “Yeah, she is,” he says, his teeth grinding together. He leans against the table. “Want to tell me those secrets of yours?”

“Doesn’t seem like you need them,” Dane replies, sipping from his glass.

Toby shrugs. “It’s not usually this easy. The next girl might be a bigger challenge.”

“That’s what you call easy?” Dane asks. “Dude, it took you, like, fifteen minutes to let you kiss her. I can’t believe you sealed the deal.”

Toby gives a smile a try, but he can tell it’s more like a grimace.

“Tell you what,” says Dane. “I’ll give you my secret. It’s Rohypnol.”

Toby feels vindicated, now that they have it on record. But he’s going to keep going, because the more he can pin on this guy the better. “What’s that?” he asks, playing dumb.

Dane shifts and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a bottle of pills. He opens it up. “Roofies,” he explains. “Crush one up and drop it into a drink, and boom, she’s yours.” He shakes the bottle. “I charge fifty bucks a pill, but for you I can make an exception. Three for one hundred.”

Toby nods. “Let me think about that deal.”

Tobt's said his code line, and now all he has to do is wait. He reaches for his drink, the one he’d ordered before, but as it reaches his lips Dane shouts, “Wait, that's not yours!”

He's unsure why Dane's reacted that way until he really tastes the drink. It's not his seltzer - it's a gin and tonic, set next to the girl who had moved into Toby's seat.

"You fucker," Toby says, leaning toward Dane, but already the world is spinning.

His last memories include Cabe arresting Dane, and Happy’s face in front of him. She asks him if he’s okay, and replies with vague, blurred speech that even he doesn’t understand.

And then he comes out of the blackout on the garage couch.

Toby blinks and sits up. “God damn,” he says, feeling shaky and vulnerable. “What have I done for the past –” he checks his watch “two hours?”

Happy’s sitting next to him, reading. “I was put on Toby watch, and you’ve been on your phone playing Angry Birds,” she says. “Every ten minutes or so you’d say something about how you felt like something was wrong, and I’d tell you what happened. And then you’d forget.” The look on her face is awful. “I really hope you never have to do something like that again.”

Toby opens his arms and Happy sits with her legs thrown in his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“Without our resident doctor, we didn’t know how long it would take for you to come out of it,” she murmurs against his neck. “We were all pretty scared. Which I'm only saying because I really was."

“I’m okay,” he says. “Besides, if anybody tried to hurt me, you’d kick their ass.”

Happy laughs as she pulls away. “You’re damn right.” She kisses him once, twice, and a third time, like she’s making sure he’s there.

“Where’s the rest of the team?” Toby asks.

“Paige and Mavis followed Cabe and Dane to the police station,” Happy explains. “Mavis wanted to give a statement but she didn’t want to go alone. Sly’s been looking up ways to take care of somebody who’s been roofied until about an hour ago when I told him to go to sleep. I think he’s still out on his desk.” At the mention of Paige, Toby has a flash of the night before right after he had had the drink. Paige had come over and threatened to stab Dane with her stiletto if he tried to leave before Cabe got there.

“Paige is really bad ass,” Toby says.

Happy nods. “Are you surprised?” she asks. “She once hit a guy with a car.”

Toby laughs. “Well, she’s kind of become our muscle."

Toby takes a moment to run his hand along Happy's arm, memorizing the touch of her skin.

"And where’s Walter?” he asks after a few moments.

Happy lets a small smile slip out. “He went to the college campus to read Campus Safety at Mavis’ school the riot act regarding date rape drugs. He wrote an entire presentation in thirty minutes. He’ll probably be back soon.”

Toby settles into the couch. “Hey, Happy?” he says quietly.

She hums in acknowledgement.

“I’m really sorry I smacked your ass.”

Happy, to Toby’s surprise, just laughs into his shoulder. “Forgiven,” she says. Toby reaches up and runs his hands through her hair. It feels a little strange straightened, and he finds himself missing her curls.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Toby says quietly. “You did so good out there, and Mavis. I have no idea how we pulled it off that smoothly.”

“I think we were all just really determined to take this guy down,” Happy says, “and we did it.”

Toby hugs her. “I was scared,” he says quietly.

Happy pulls away just enough to get a good look at him. “Hey, I know. I can’t imagine how horrible it must have been to lose your memory like that.”

Toby shakes his head, his hand resting on Happy’s neck. “No,” he says, “for all those girls. I know exactly how they felt in that moment when they realized they lost control. And I – I know he was ready to do the same to you.”

Happy’s steady and still as Toby tries to calm himself down, her eyes soft on his face.

“But we made it so he’ll never do this to anyone ever again,” Happy says firmly. “He’s done.”

Toby nods and then Happy leans in and kisses him softly, gently. It feels like a promise: _I’m here, you’re safe, I’m yours_.

“I love you,” she mutters against his lips.

Toby stills his hand on her shoulder and just looks at her as she leans away.

Toby smiles at her. “I love you, too,” he says quietly.

She nods, her breathing surprisingly unsteady. “I needed to say it,” she explains, more to herself than to him, “because – if things had gone wrong, if you…” She trails off, her eyes trained on a spot on the wall behind Toby. “If something had gone really wrong, you never would have heard me say it.” She looks at him again. “And now you have. But that doesn’t give you permission to die or anything.”

Toby nods, because he doesn’t think words are required, and when Happy leans in to kiss him, he holds her close. "No dying," Toby agrees.


End file.
